3,763 research outputs found

    Brownian motion of Massive Particle in a Space with Curvature and Torsion and Crystals with Defects

    Full text link
    We develop a theory of Brownian motion of a massive particle, including the effects of inertia (Kramers' problem), in spaces with curvature and torsion. This is done by invoking the recently discovered generalized equivalence principle, according to which the equations of motion of a point particle in such spaces can be obtained from the Newton equation in euclidean space by means of a nonholonomic mapping. By this principle, the known Langevin equation in euclidean space goes over into the correct Langevin equation in the Cartan space. This, in turn, serves to derive the Kubo and Fokker-Planck equations satisfied by the particle distribution as a function of time in such a space. The theory can be applied to classical diffusion processes in crystals with defects.Comment: LaTeX, http://www.physik.fu-berlin.de/kleinert.htm

    Topological Aspect of Knotted Vortex Filaments in Excitable Media

    Full text link
    Scroll waves exist ubiquitously in three-dimensional excitable media. It's rotation center can be regarded as a topological object called vortex filament. In three-dimensional space, the vortex filaments usually form closed loops, and even linked and knotted. In this letter, we give a rigorous topological description of knotted vortex filaments. By using the ϕ\phi-mapping topological current theory, we rewrite the topological current form of the charge density of vortex filaments and use this topological current we reveal that the Hopf invariant of vortex filaments is just the sum of the linking and self-linking numbers of the knotted vortex filaments. We think that the precise expression of the Hopf invariant may imply a new topological constraint on knotted vortex filaments.Comment: 4 pages, no figures, Accepted by Chin. Phys. Let

    The constitutive tensor of linear elasticity: its decompositions, Cauchy relations, null Lagrangians, and wave propagation

    Full text link
    In linear anisotropic elasticity, the elastic properties of a medium are described by the fourth rank elasticity tensor C. The decomposition of C into a partially symmetric tensor M and a partially antisymmetric tensors N is often used in the literature. An alternative, less well-known decomposition, into the completely symmetric part S of C plus the reminder A, turns out to be irreducible under the 3-dimensional general linear group. We show that the SA-decomposition is unique, irreducible, and preserves the symmetries of the elasticity tensor. The MN-decomposition fails to have these desirable properties and is such inferior from a physical point of view. Various applications of the SA-decomposition are discussed: the Cauchy relations (vanishing of A), the non-existence of elastic null Lagrangians, the decomposition of the elastic energy and of the acoustic wave propagation. The acoustic or Christoffel tensor is split in a Cauchy and a non-Cauchy part. The Cauchy part governs the longitudinal wave propagation. We provide explicit examples of the effectiveness of the SA-decomposition. A complete class of anisotropic media is proposed that allows pure polarizations in arbitrary directions, similarly as in an isotropic medium.Comment: 1 figur

    Autoparallels From a New Action Principle

    Full text link
    We present a simpler and more powerful version of the recently-discovered action principle for the motion of a spinless point particle in spacetimes with curvature and torsion. The surprising feature of the new principle is that an action involving only the metric can produce an equation of motion with a torsion force, thus changing geodesics to autoparallels. This additional torsion force arises from a noncommutativity of variations with parameter derivatives of the paths due to the closure failure of parallelograms in the presence of torsionComment: Paper in src. Author Information under http://www.physik.fu-berlin.de/~kleinert/institution.html Read paper directly with Netscape under http://www.physik.fu-berlin.de/~kleinert/kleiner_re243/preprint.htm

    Optical Vortices during a Super-Resolution Process in a Metamaterial

    Full text link
    We show that a super-resolution process with 100% visibility is characterized by the formation of a point of phase singularity in free space outside the lens in the form of a saddle with topological charge equal to -1. The saddle point is connected to two vortices at the end boundary of the lens, and the two vortices are in turn connected to another saddle point inside the lens. The structure saddle-vortices-saddle is topologically stable. The formation of the saddle point in free space explains also the negative flux of energy present in a certain region of space outside the lens. The circulation strength of the power flow can be controlled by varying the position of the object plane with respect to the lens

    The Cotton tensor in Riemannian spacetimes

    Full text link
    Recently, the study of three-dimensional spaces is becoming of great interest. In these dimensions the Cotton tensor is prominent as the substitute for the Weyl tensor. It is conformally invariant and its vanishing is equivalent to conformal flatness. However, the Cotton tensor arises in the context of the Bianchi identities and is present in any dimension. We present a systematic derivation of the Cotton tensor. We perform its irreducible decomposition and determine its number of independent components for the first time. Subsequently, we exhibit its characteristic properties and perform a classification of the Cotton tensor in three dimensions. We investigate some solutions of Einstein's field equations in three dimensions and of the topologically massive gravity model of Deser, Jackiw, and Templeton. For each class examples are given. Finally we investigate the relation between the Cotton tensor and the energy-momentum in Einstein's theory and derive a conformally flat perfect fluid solution of Einstein's field equations in three dimensions.Comment: 27 pages, revtex

    Generalized Jacobi structures

    Get PDF
    Jacobi brackets (a generalization of standard Poisson brackets in which Leibniz's rule is replaced by a weaker condition) are extended to brackets involving an arbitrary (even) number of functions. This new structure includes, as a particular case, the recently introduced generalized Poisson structures. The linear case on simple group manifolds is also studied and non-trivial examples (different from those coming from generalized Poisson structures) of this new construction are found by using the cohomology ring of the given group.Comment: Latex2e file. 11 pages. To appear in J. Phys.

    Conformal Einstein equations and Cartan conformal connection

    Get PDF
    Necessary and sufficient conditions for a space-time to be conformal to an Einstein space-time are interpreted in terms of curvature restrictions for the corresponding Cartan conformal connection

    Southern ocean warming, sea level and hydrological change during the Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum

    Get PDF
    A brief (~150 kyr) period of widespread global average surface warming marks the transition between the Paleocene and Eocene epochs, ~56 million years ago. This so-called "Paleocene-Eocene thermal maximum" (PETM) is associated with the massive injection of <sup>13</sup>C-depleted carbon, reflected in a negative carbon isotope excursion (CIE). Biotic responses include a global abundance peak (acme) of the subtropical dinoflagellate <i>Apectodinium</i>. Here we identify the PETM in a marine sedimentary sequence deposited on the East Tasman Plateau at Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1172 and show, based on the organic paleothermometer TEX<sub>86</sub>, that southwest Pacific sea surface temperatures increased from ~26 °C to ~33°C during the PETM. Such temperatures before, during and after the PETM are >10 °C warmer than predicted by paleoclimate model simulations for this latitude. In part, this discrepancy may be explained by potential seasonal biases in the TEX<sub>86</sub> proxy in polar oceans. Additionally, the data suggest that not only Arctic, but also Antarctic temperatures may be underestimated in simulations of ancient greenhouse climates by current generation fully coupled climate models. An early influx of abundant <i>Apectodinium</i> confirms that environmental change preceded the CIE on a global scale. Organic dinoflagellate cyst assemblages suggest a local decrease in the amount of river run off reaching the core site during the PETM, possibly in concert with eustatic rise. Moreover, the assemblages suggest changes in seasonality of the regional hydrological system and storm activity. Finally, significant variation in dinoflagellate cyst assemblages during the PETM indicates that southwest Pacific climates varied significantly over time scales of 10<sup>3</sup> – 10<sup>4</sup> years during this event, a finding comparable to similar studies of PETM successions from the New Jersey Shelf

    Knotted Solitons in a Charged Two-Condensate Bose System

    Full text link
    By making use of the decomposition of U(1) gauge potential theory and the \phi mapping method, we propose that a charged two-condensate Bose system possesses vortex lines and two classes of knotted solitons. The topological charges of the vortex lines are characterized by the Hopf indices and the Brower degrees of \phi-mapping, and the knotted solitons are described by the nontrivial Hopf invariant and the BF action, respectively.Comment: 12 pages,0 figure
    corecore